Permaculture Student Intern turned Assistant and Upcoming PDC with Robyn Francis and Cathe’ Fish

Poster I created for the PDC

I've been marketing an upcoming Permaculture Design Course (PDC) for my own PDC instructor and mentor Cathe' Fish.  Cathe' and world renown permaculture educator, Robyn Francis of Australia, will be co-teaching a 13 day PDC intensive this October. (Seriously, someone pinch me!)

Cathe' and I have been utilizing an internship/work-trade system since we met 2008 and it's been an incredible experience learning from someone as dynamic and experienced as Cathe'.  I highly recommend permaculture students find a way to study under an accomplished permaculture designer for a few years after taking their PDC; the knowledge, hands on experience and self-confidence one gains from working with an experienced permaculturist is priceless.

An Elderberry Volunteers -Applying Permaculture Principle Number One in Our Backyard

Work With Nature Rather Than Against It: We can assist rather than impede natural elements, forces, pressures, processes, agencies, and evolutions.

Observe and Interact: By taking the time to engage with nature we can design solutions that suit our particular situation.

Elderberry volunteer 4-25-08

This beautiful California native shrub (photo above) is a volunteer plant.  He sprouted up a few years ago, probably from the seed of a passing bird, and staked his claim on what our family had planned to be a sunny Zone 2 herb garden… and we let him take over.  Once we did our due diligence of his habits and functions, that is.  What we found are shrubs like the native Elderberry (Sambucus mexicana) are insectary plants and provide pollen, nectar, shelter, as well as undisturbed habitat, for beneficial insect predators and parasites.